April 10:Ocean Sanctuaries Highlighted by Project AwareOcean Sanctuaries is honored to be featured among other great diving communities highlighted at the bottom of Project Aware’s Dive Against Debris Program page.

We would like to thank our partners Ashley Arnold, Jake Fitzgerald and Jade Scuba Adventures for the great work they do as well, in keeping oceans clean.

Ashley served our country for 11 years in the Army and the Tennessee National Guard. She completed 2 tours of duty in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan. When she left the armed forces, Ashley found Scuba diving as a form a treatment for PTSD. She became an instructor to share Scuba diving with the Veteran community. Ashley has taught diving in Utah and California.

Jake Fitzgerald

Co-owner

PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor

Prior to entering the underwater world, Jake served his local communities in Orange County as an Emergency Medical Technician and Law Enforcement. When he discovered diving, it quickly became an obsession. In his first year diving, Jake completed over 150 dives, several advanced specialties, and became an instructor. He now enjoys sharing his love of the ocean.

Three major citizen science outfits—Reef Life Survey, Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), and Reef Check Foundation—have collected data leading to more than 150 scientific papers. REEF’s director of science, Christy Pattengill-Semmens, says marine citizen science has matured in the eyes of academia. Their work, and that of other citizen science groups, is influencing lawmaking and legislation, too. “Fifteen years ago, you might [hear,] ‘Oh, that’s a nice little project you’ve got going—it’s good for education and outreach,’” she says. As more and more peer-reviewed papers using the group’s data sets appeared she says the respect for citizen science has snowballed.

Jan. 24 Talk Given by Ocean Sanctuaries President Michael Bear at the Orange County Chapter of the American Cetacean Society, titled: “What Does ‘Ocean Sanctuaries’ Do?’

Photo credit: Orange County Chapter of ACA

2019: New Study Finds Sevengill Sharks Replacing Great Whites as Apex Predators in Cape Town Area

A new study has documented unexpected consequences following the decline of great white sharks from an area off South Africa. The study found that the disappearance of great whites has led to the emergence of sevengill sharks, a top predator from a different habitat. A living fossil, sevengill sharks closely resemble relatives from the Jurassic period, unique for having seven gills instead of the typical five in most other sharks.